The Beat My Heart Skipped
by xXpposedXx
Summary: Working a case together... Could Sakura really be falling in love? Sakura's a rookie detective, and she's got a new case. She's tracking down dangerous criminals with her experienced partner, Kakashi, but what's waiting for her after the danger's over? Is it just case closed? Or could this be the beginning of life-changing romance?
1. Chapter 1

**(Fanfiction is based on otome game, Metro PD: Close To You. I do not own the game nor Naruto)**

**Flashback**

"So, you caught him!?," an old lady asks.

"We did! He's a repeat offender," I say, "I'm glad we were able to get him off the streets quickly."

"I'm so relieved! Thank you, Officer Haruno!" Old Lady says.

"Don't mention it. It's all thanks to your eyewitness info, Ma'am."

"Is that you, Sakura?" Mr. Sato asks.

"Mr. Sato! How's everything going?" I ask.

"Great! Your advice really helped with our peeping-tom situation." he replies.

"Really!?"

"I put that gravel down outside the window, like you said. Now, you can hear it whenever someone walks by." he explains, "The peeping-toms don't come around anymore!"

"That's great!" I say happily, "I couldn't let them just get away with peeping on girls trying to take a bath!"

I work in the West Arai Police Department's Community Safety Unit. As far as job titles go, I'm a detective. I'm still super green though, it's only my second year on the force. My friends are always telling me that I "don't look like a detective," and that I "don't carry myself like a detective" and stuff...

"We can rest easy with you around, Officer Haruno," Old Lady says.

"We're in good hands with a talented detective like you here," Mr. Sato says.

"You guys are too kind, really..." I confess.

I don't deal with serial killers, terrorists, the mafia or anything, but I think that creating a safe community for people to live in is an important job. People come to me with their problems, and we work to solve them together. That's the kind of detective work I'm best at. Or at least that's what I thought, until that man called my name and changed everything...

"Are you Detective Haruno?" a man asks me.

"Y-yes, sir," I reply.

_Who is this guy? I feel like I've seen him before somewhere..._

"You're going to the MPD," he says

"The Metropolitan Police Department?"

"Yep."

"Um, what do you mean?" I ask hesitantly.

"You're moving to the Metro Police Special Investigations Unit, today. Look," he says, as he unfolds a piece of paper.

I read the paper. "Notice of Personnel Transfer, Detective Sakura Haruno is hereby transferred from the West Arai Community Safety Unit, to the Metropolitan Police Special Investigations: 2nd Unit. Effective immediately."

"See?"

"T-transferred? But...I haven't heard anything about this!" I exclaim.

"Well, yeah, obviously. This is my first time telling you," he points out.

"I guess, but..." I trail off.

"It's a promotion. The guys in Special Investigations are our best and brightest," he explains, "They go after the big dogs."

"Best and brightest?"

"Well, they're definitely a little...eccentric too, though."

"Eccentric?"

"Never mind about that... Anyway, good luck!" he grins and walks towards the door.

"Hey, wait a second!" I shout.

"Oh. Sorry about that, I'm Jaraiya, with the Metro PD. Remember that name." he says confidently.

"No, that wasn't what I was going to-"

"See ya later!" Jaraiya cuts me off, and heads out the door.

**This is my first fanfiction I'm currently writing so I hope you'll like it as much as I do! Please leave a review and rate if you can, I would love to read your opinions! :)  
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	2. Chapter 2

**Present day**

And that's how I ended up here. I stand in front of the Metro Police Department.

_Wow... The MPD building is really impressive. What is up with this sudden transfer? There must've been some mistake._

Without thinking, I turn around to start back the way I came.

_Wait. I can't just ignore an offcial transfer notice._

I gather my courage and head towards the building.

_But, actually..._

"Whoa!"

I turn around to find a man in a three-piece suit standing immediately behind me.

"What brings you to the MPD today?" Sai asks.

"Oh, um... I'm here to..." I trail off.

The man quickly looks me up and down.

"Are you a tourist?" he asks.

"T-tourist?"

Stone faced, he points in a variety of directions, "Head this way to get to the Imperial palace. go that way to get to Ginza and the other way for the International Forum."

"Oh, um, well, you see..."

_I am NOT a tourist._

He looks at me, "Got it?"

I take a step backwards, intimidated by the strength of his intense gaze, "Yeah..."

"Well, take care."

Wit those words, he leaves, walking towards the entrance of the building.

_I guess he's a detective here... He seems like a real straight-laced, top-notch investigator._

I watch him walk off, momentarily lost in thought. Suddenly, he spins back around.

_Again? What is it this time?_

"You should hurry and go. Someone'll think you're suspicious, loitering around here," Sai says.

"S-suspicious!?" I exclaim.

"I mean, I thought so."

And with that, he quickly heads into the building.

_What was that all about!? Suspicious!? Yeah right! I'm a detective!_

Any remnants of anxiety disappear.

"Time for me to walk into this place!" I say confidently.

I walk towards the building. The people passing through the lobby all look so sharp and perceptive.

_Wow, they all seem so professional. Do I really belong here?_

*bump*

"Oh, sorry!"

"Oh..." Neji says.

The man looks down at me. He's pretty tall. His handsome face is expressionless.

"Sorry about that, I wasn't looking where I was going." I apologize.

The man doesn't say anything.

"Uh..."

_Does he not hear me?_

Neji starts snoring.

_He's snoring!?_

His sleepy face moves to look more closely at me. His expression changes as he finally seems to register that I exist.

He suddenly wakes up, "Huh? What?"

Um, don't worry about it..." I assure him.

"Neji, good morning!" Naruto shouts.

Another man, (er, boy?) comes towards us.

"Oh! A girl! Cool!" Naruto says excitedly, "I've never seen you before. Do you work here too?" he asks me.

"Y-yes," I reply.

_Starting today, anyway..._

His smiling, carefree face is cute. The MPD seems super strict. I'm surprised they allow him to wear casual clothes.

"Wait a minute... you!?" He shouts at me.

"Y-yes!?" I say worriedly.

He surprises me by moving suddenly to analyze my face from all angles.

_His face is so pretty! I can't believe he's looking at me this up close..._

He points at me, "You look like one of those things, um... you know, those things!"

"One of what things?"

"What are they called? Uh... you know, those..." he says forgetfully, "Okay, okay! I remember! A capybara!" he shouts remembering.

"Uh..." I say with a confused look on my face.

_I don't know whether to be angry or not._

"You see the resemblance too, right, Neji?" he asks.

"Yeah, I'm not really seeing it..." Neji replies.

_I know, right!_

"What are you guys hanging out here for? You're going to be late for the meeting," Sasuke says.

A man calls out to us as he passes by.

"Sasuke! Check it out! Doesn't this girl look just like one of those things?" Naruto asks Sasuke.

"What is a 'one of those things?'" Sasuke asks.

"Er... What was it called? I just said it..." Naruto forgets again and turns to me, "You remember, right?"

"Was it... a capybara?" I say.

"Yeah, yeah, that's it! That!" Naruto points at me.

"Who goes around comparing themselves to a capybara?" Sasuke asks me.

"No, I'm not saying I look like one. I was just..." I trail off.

His unimpressed stare stops me mid-sentence.

_What's up with this guy?_

"Four," Sasuke says.

"Huh?" I give him a puzzled look.

"There it is, Sasuke's rating," Naruto says.

"What!?" I exclaim.

"Hm. A four. Not bad, right, Neji?" Naruto asks.

"Sleepy..." Neji says.

_Is this guy conscious or not?_

"Well, this isn't the time to be messing around," Sasuke says, "We're going to be late for the meeting. Let's go."

"Oh, yeah! We'd better hurry! Later, Capybara!" Naruto yells at me.

"H-hey!" I shout at the three men.

The three of them disappear before I could finish what I was saying.

_What was all that about? Capybara? A four!? Four points out of ten? No way. What if they meant four out of a hundred? Or they could've meant four out of five..._

"Ugh! I'm so annoyed!" I yell.

I accidentally say my thoughts out loud. People in the lobby turn to look at me.

_Okay, this is embarrassing..._

I escape into the elevator.

"Okay, Special Investigations... 7th floor."

I check to make sure no one is coming and press the button to close the elevator doors.

*crunch*

Someone is squished in the doors.

"Huh?" I look at the person between the doors.

"What are you trying to do, crush me!?" Shikamaru yells.

A tall, kind of wild-looking guy gets on the elevator.

"I'm so sorry. I thought I had checked but..." I apologize.

"You've gotta look first. Psh... No manners," Shikamaru murmurs.

"No manners!?" I exclaim.

He glares at me, "What? You got somethin' to say about it?"

"It's just..." I trail off.

He rolls his eyes at me, "Psh..."

_Ooh! I'm so pissed! But, I feel like I can't say anything to this guy..._

He takes out his phone and starts looking at something, "Whoa!"

"What? What is it?"

"Yeah!" he cheers.

_What's the deal with this guy?_

"Yes! We won!" he cheers excitedly.

For some reason, he has his right fist up, punching the air in victory.

"Um, congratulations!" I say.

Inspired by his enthusiasm, I hesitantly raise my fist too.

"Thank you! Thank you!" he says happily and shakes my hand.

_What? Now he's shaking my hand!?_

"Now the Tigers'll be able to make it all the way!" he says excitedly.

"What? Is this all about baseball?" I ask, but before he could answer-

*ding*

The elevator reaches the 7th floor.

"Today's gonna be an awesome day! I can feel it!"

"Y-yeah, sure..."

Full of confidence, he saunters off the elevator.

"That was kind of weird..." I say to no one in particular.

_He's not a detective too... Is he? This is the MPD building... Isn't it?_

I collect myself and head for Special Investigations.

_Okay, now where is this place..._

I continue down the hallway checking the signs on the doors as I go.

"Here it is."

I open the door labeled 'Special Investigations Unit.'

I hesitantly walk inside, "Um, excuse me..."

"Yeah?" Gaara asks.

"I'm Detective Sakura Haruno from West Arai. I'll be working with you starting today." I reply.

"I haven't heard anything about that," Kankuro says.

"Really?" I ask surprised.

"Oh, I know, you must mean back there," Temari says.

As she speaks, she points to a door at the back of the room.

"Oh, over there, yeah," Gaara says.

"That's where they keep the REALLY excellent detectives," Kankuro says.

"That whole room's way too elite for us. We're not even allowed in," Temari says.

Their words practically drip with sarcasm.

_What's up with their attitudes?_

"You must be looking for them," Gaara says.

"You definitely don't belong here in 1st Unit," Kankuro says.

"I mean, are you even really a detective?" Temari asks.

"Y-yes, of course I am!" I reply.

"What's 2nd Unit thinking? Bringing this little princess up here..." Gaara says, "Oh well, it's not 1st Unit's problem."

"It sure as hell isn't," Kankuro and Temari say the same time.

"Excuse me!" I exclaim.

_What's with these people!? I'm really annoyed now..._

I nod goodbye and head towards the door at the back of the room. The door says, 'Special Investigations 2nd Unit.'

_I guess this is it... I wonder what these 2nd Unit guys are like..._

I take a deep breath and-

*knock* * knock* *knock* *knock*

I knock on the door, but not one answers. Left with no other option, I reach to open the door. At that moment-

THUD

"Ow!"

The door opens from the inside, hitting me right in the forehead.

Kakashi looks at me, "Hm?"

"Owww!"

"Oh? Sorry, sorry," he apologizes.

"No, it's okay, it's my fault for not paying attention." I say.

"Can I help you with something?" he asks.

"A-actually, I..." I trail off.

"Are you the new kid?" Kakashi asks.

"Yes, I'm Sakura Haruno from the West Arai Police." I reply.

"Yeah, we heard from Jaraiya. Hey, everybody, the newbie's here!"

He turns towards the middle of the room. Five guys turn around to face him.

"What? Ms. Suspicious from before?" Sai asks.

"Capybara?" Naruto shouts.

"The four?" Sasuke asks in an emotionless tone.

"No manners?" Shikamaru asks in a surprised voice.

Neji doesn't say anything.

"Well look at that, you guys are all buddies already!" Kakashi says.

"Not exactly..." I murmur.

"Okay, anyway, newbie's name is... Hey, what was your name again?" Kakashi asks me.

"Sakura Haruno, from the West Arai Community Safety Unit," I reply, "It's my first day with the MPD so I'm a little nervous. It's nice to meet you all."

"You're nervous?" Shikamaru asks.

"You sure don't look nervous," Sai says.

"Maybe she's trying to win us over with a shy little girl act?" Sasuke says.

"You think she's being fake?" Naruto says.

"Meh, whatever," Neji says.

"Shut it guys, stop talking all at once!" Kakashi shouts, "Hurry and introduce yourselves."

"I'm Sai. So, you weren't a sketchy loiterer or a tourist, you're a detective!"

"Yes...I'm a detective," I say.

_He's handsome, but something about him rubs me the wrong way._

"My name's Shikamaru Nara. I hate the Giants and girls with no manners,"

"Hey!" I give him an annoyed expression.

Shikamaru flashes me a wry smile.

_What a jerk!_

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I'm actually from the NYPD. I'm here in Tokyo for training!" Naruto says confidently.

"It's nice to meet you." I say.

_That's a relief he seems normal and cute. What!?_

He catches me off guard with a kiss on the hand.

"Just a little New York-style greeting for you!"

"H-hey!"

"Okay, okay, that's enough," Sasuke interjects.

_I was not expecting that..._

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha, but you've probably heard my name around before. You don't seem 'that' clueless."

I become speechless, "Um, well..."

_That wasn't exactly polite..._

"Uh, let's see, and lastly there's... Neji," Sasuke says and moves to go back to his seat, calling Neji over as he does so.

"I'm Neji Hyuuga."

"Sorry about bumping into you before," I apologize.

"Bumping into me?" he asks.

"Oh? Uh..."

"i don't remember..."

"I see..."

_Yeah, it didn't seem like he was really paying attention to what was going on._

"Don't worry about him, he's always like that," Kakashi reassures me, "Anyway, I'm Kakashi Hatake."

"Hatake is the head of 2nd Unit," Sai says.

"He's our boss," Shikamaru says.

"I look forward to working with all of you!" I say happily with a smile.

All of the men don't say anything, but just stare at me.

I start feeling self-conscious about myself, "What?"

"Come one guys, give her a better reaction than that!" Kakashi says.

"Boss, are you sure this girl's a detective?" Sai asks.

"Why was she transferred here?" Shikamaru asks.

"Hmm...I don't know," Kakashi replies.

_He doesn't know?_

"She doesn't seem like a detective, does she?" Sai says.

"Do you have a some kind of special skill?" Shikamaru asks me, "Like, are you like a great shot or an explosives expert or something?"

Kakashi looks at me, "Yeah what's your thing?"

"My thing?" I reply.

"We're not asking if you do impressions or something," Sasuke says.

"I know!" I give him an annoyed look.

Just then-

"Emergency Dispatch! Emergency Dispatch! We've received information regarding a bomb threat at Ohi Warf. All personnel, move out."

Suddenly, a loud announcement comes over the PA system. The relaxed atmosphere of just moments earlier is gone. Everyone immediately readies to move out.

"Let's go!" Kakashi orders us.

We obey him, "Yes, sir!"

Their five faces turn serious.

_Wow. They're all so...cool. Wait, I shouldn't be thinking that at a time like this!_

"Haruno! You're coming too!" Kakashi orders me.

I follow his command, "O-ok!"

I hurry to follow everyone out of the room.

We arrive at Ohi Warf.

"Sai, what do we know about the bomb threat?" I ask him.

"We received a tip-off from someone living in the area," he replies, "Apparently, he went to investigate an illegally parked car, and overheard someone discussing plans for a bombing."

"Is that information reliable?"

"We have to act on the assumption that it is."

I agree with him, "True..."

_Whether it's West Arai or the MPD, we'd be shooting ourselves in the foot as police, if we don't work to maintain a trusting relationship with the community we protect._

"Everyone, split up and get ready to head in," Kakashi orders the men.

They all follow his command, "Yes, sir!"

"Haruno, stay here. Wait for reinforcements and relay my orders to them," Kakashi orders me.

"Yes, sir!"

Sasuke hands me a radio, "Here, this two-way radio will connect you with Boss."

I take the radio from him, "Okay."

"Alright. Everybody, keep your eyes peeled. Let's head in." Kakashi says.

"Yes, sir!" we all say in unison.

At Kakashi's order, everyone heads off in different directions.

_They're totally different from when they were messing around before. They really are pros. I've gotta work hard if I'm going to be part of this unit!_

I turn the two-way radio on and start to focus when-

CRASH

I turn towards where the sound came from, "Who!?"

A figure dressed in black runs out of the shadows towards where I'm standing.

The figure stares at me.

_It's the suspect! No doubt about it!_

I reach for the two-way radio to contact Kakashi when someone grabs my arms and twists them to tie my hand behind my back.

"Let me go!" I yell at the suspect.

The more I struggle, the tighter my hands are bound.

"What do you think you're doing!? Stop!" I yell.

My mouth is covered and I'm dragged off. I'm pushed into a dark room.

"You're only making it worse for yourself by doing this!" I yell at the suspect.

With my hands still tied behind me, I summon up all of my courage and yell.

"Reinforcements are on their way as we speak. There's nowhere for you to run!"

_I have to hurry and contact Kakashi!_

The suspect stares at me from a distance. The suspect takes out a small box.

"W-what are you.?" I say to the figure.

He presses the button on the little box.

*beep* *beep* *beep* *beep*

The box starts making noise.

_It's like it's a countdown..._

"No way... Is that a time bomb?" I whisper.

The suspect doesn't say anything. The suspect's dark sunglasses glint as they catch the light. He removes a floorboard and makes a smooth escape from the room.

"A secret passageway!?"

_This is bad! If I don't get in touch with Kakashi..._

*beep* *beep* *beep* *beep*

This thing is really going to blow.

Just then, the beeping stops.

BOOM!

"Sakura! Wake up!," Sai shouts.

_Someone's calling me..._

"Haruno, open your eyes!" Shikamaru shouts.

I try to open my eyes, but my body doesn't respond.

"Ugh..." I groan.

"Open your eyes!" Neji shouts.

_What happened to me?_

"Ugh..." I groan again.

"Sakura, come one!" Naruto yells.

My head is pounding as I open my heavy eyelids. All the guys from 2nd Unit are gathered around me.

"What's going on? Ow..." I hiss in pain.

My leg hurts. The room is filled with the smell of gunpowder, but I can't remember what happened.

"What happened?" I ask.

It's then that I finally realize that someone is holding me in his arms. It's-

"Hatake..." I whisper before I fall into a deep sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Three months later...

"Alright, everybody gather around," Kakashi says.

Everyone in 2nd Unit moves to stand around the table in the center of the room..

"We've got a live one," he says.

Everyone's faces grow serious at Kakashi's words.

"We got a tip-off about some dealing going on in the area. Here's the intel. Technically, this is out of our jurisdiction, but, well... We've been put in charge of bringing down this drug ring."

I take a look at the case details on the papers Kakashi passes me.

"So, are we sure these dealers are working directly for an organized ring?" Naruto asks Kakashi.

"That seems likely, but we don't know sure yet. The plan is to break them up once we get a better idea of the situation," Kakashi replies, "So get investigating."

"Neji and I will handle the paper trail," Sai says.

"Naruto and I will canvas the area," Shikamaru says.

"I'll organize the intel as it comes in and handle the bureaucratic side of things," Sasuke says.

Kakashi looks at me, "Alright. Haruno, you're with me."

I nod my head, "Okay,"

I put the papers back in their folder and stand up. Together, Kakashi and I head to the drug ring's supposed territory. It's been three months since I joined Special Investigations. I'm finally getting used to the way things work around 2nd Unit. I steal a glance at Kakashi out of the corner of my eye. He sits in the driver's seat, his hands on the wheel, a relaxed expression on his face. Kakashi is the one who put 2nd Unit's band of misfits together. In these past three months, I've come to realize a lot about 2nd Unit. Like the connection between 2nd Unit's unique combination of personalities, and the unit's ability to close more cases than any other unit in the Metro PD. At this point, 2nd Unit moves well-oiled machine. Kakashi doesn't need to give detailed instructions on every little thing. The guys are able to split and work as a team to get things done. However, according to Naruto, Kakashi is the one who made 2nd Unit the way it is. Kakashi knows how to operate without ego, how to let the little things slide. He's a man who understands the big picture.

_And he's pretty hot too..._

I look at Kakashi's handsome face, half-covered by a mask he never takes off that covers his nose, down, and space out for a second. Kakashi turns to talk to me.

"How's it going, Haruno? You used to the job yet?" he asks me.

"It's been a challenge, but I'm figuring things out little by little."

"I see. Sasuke and Jaraiya haven't been hit on you, have they?"

"What? No, no way!"

"Really?"

"I'm not that popular with guys, honestly," I confess.

I laugh, Kakashi chuckles, but never breaks eye contact with me.

"You're so friendly with everyone... You gotta be careful, some guy could come along and take advantage of you," Kakashi says.

"I would never let anything like that happen," I assure him.

"True, I guess you wouldn't..." he agrees with me, "Definitely not with the way you're talking now. I don't think you'd go for it even if some guy did try to put the moves on you."

"Really? Do I come off that uptight? I'm surprised."

"It's not that I think you're uptight, I actually just don't think you'd realize you were being hit on."

"In other words, you think I'm dumb!" I say.

"Not dumb, you just seem... Kind of innocent, clueless." he says.

"Those are not good things!" I exclaim.

"Haha, I'm complimenting you," he says with an eye crinkle grin, "Sometimes it's better to be a little on the innocent side."

"That doesn't sound like a compliment to me." I murmur.

Kakashi smiles at me teasingly before making a face like he's offended. I'm lucky to have a boss I can joke with like this.

"Really? I guess it's just me then," Kakashi shrugs, pretending not to get what I'm talking about, "Really though, Haruno, you should keep your guard up."

Kakashi turns suddnely serious.

"Ok..."

"Don't go off with strange men named Jaraiya even if they do offer you candy," Kakashi warns me.

"What?"

_C-candy?_

I catch sight of Kakashi's face. I can tell he's grinning because of a faint curve of his mouth on his mask and his eye crinkle, then realize I'm being teased.

"Come on! I'm not a child, and I'm not an idiot!" I yell at him.

"But that last one did go over your head for a second, right?"

Kakashi laughs and pats me on the head.

"Anyway, if anything does ever happen, let me know right away. Okay?"

Somehow... I get the feeling... That last line was what Kakashi had really wanted to say to me, all along.

"Okay," I reply.

Seemingly satisfied with my answer, Kakashi nods and returns his eyes to the road.

We arrive at our destination. We get out of the car and take a look around. It's just a nondescript building. The fact that it looks so perfectly average is actually kind of creepy.

"Hatake!" I whisper.

I whisper Kakashi's name and pull him by the arm into the shadows.

"Haruno, what is it?" he whispers.

"I saw someone in the building. The way they were looking around... It seemed a little suspicious."

"What?"

Kakashi leans in closer to the wall to avoid being seen.

"Haruno, come closer. They'll see you over there,"

I squeeze in close to Kakashi. Our shoulders touch.

"He's on the lookout. That's awfully suspicious." Kakashi says.

The man acts casual, but surveys the area carefully.

"Should we approach him?" I ask Kakashi.

"No... Let's hang back for a little while and see how this plays out," he replies.

"Got it."

"There are some other suspicious..." Kakashi whispers.

Kakashi trails off mid-sentence. I look up. Kakashi and I make eye contact, he's standing *very* close to me. Our faces are so close. I can feel Kakashi's breath on my skin.

"Oh! ...Sorry, I didn't mean to get so close!" he apologizes.

Flustered, Kakashi puts both hands up in the air.

"Hey. What's so funny," Kakashi asks me.

"S-sorry, it's just that pose... It makes you look like... like you were just wrongfully accused of grabbing a girl's butt on the train," I laugh.

"This situation's not so different from that..." he says.

He keeps his hands up and frowns awkwardly.

"This is totally different! Hatake, please don't worry about me being a girl. Do what you need to do for the investigation. I'm fine, okay?" I say confidently.

Kakashi raises his eyebrows in apparent surprise.

Kakashi gives in, "Oh... okay, got it. I'll save treating you like a girl for when we're not out on the streets."

I don't reply to his comment.

_Treating me like a girl?_

My heart skips a beat at his casually thrown out words. I look up at Kakashi to find him smiling his usual eye crinkle smile. He looks casual and calm. It definitely doesn't seem like he's trying to cover up any hidden romantic feelings. I feel embarrassed for letting myself think about something so silly.

_What am I thinking? That comment didn't mean anything..._

Kakashi is nice to me becuase I'm in his unit and he's a good boss. I logically understand that, but still can't stop my heart from racing.

_What am I doing, sitting here thinking about my heartbeat!?_

I sigh and return my gaze to the suspicious man.

"Somebody's come for a meet-up," Kakashi says.

A middle-aged man in a suit appears on the scene.

"Should we go have a little talk?" Kakashi says.

Kakashi thinks for a moment. Leaving his eyes on the approaching man, he leans in to speak to me.

"He's not taking his hands out of his pockets. He's probably carrying a weapon. You stay here," Kakashi says.

"I'll keep our escape route open," I say.

"Haruno..."

"You can treat me like a girl all you want when we're back at the office," I say.

I flash him a wry smile, and Kakashi chuckles.

"Alright. Let's go," Kakashi says.

"Okay," I say.

I position myself to cover a little alley we can use to escape if necessary. The two men are obviously nervous when Kakashi suddenly approaches them. They overact in their efforts to appear nonchalant. A moment later, the middle-aged man tries to make a run for it. When Kakashi moves to stop the middle-aged man, the other man runs off. He's headed this way. I block his escape.

"Police! Stop right there!" I yell at the man.

"Shut the hell up!" the man yells.

The man continues running.

"Stop!" I yell again at the man.

"Get the hell away from me! I'll kill you!" the man yells at me.

He runs straight at me. He's going to try to knock me down. I smoothly step out of his path and grab him by the collar.

"I said, STOP!" I yell, and throw the man as hard as I can.

He hits the ground and gets the wind knocked out of him.

"Don't underestimate me just because I'm a girl."

I hold him down and secure his hands behind his back.

"You... You're strong, huh?" Kakashi says.

Kakashi looks surprised when he runs up. He's got the middle-aged by the collar.

"Alright, time to cuff these clowns," he says.

"What? Can we? You caught them in the act?" I ask.

"Yep. Distribution of cocaine. That guy was dealing and this guy was buying," he replies, "This could get a ltitle rough..."

Kakashi's expression darkens.

_Rough?_

"Understood. You're under arrest for distribution of narcotics," Kakashi says.

I calmly cuff the man and read him his rights. He looks down and clicks his tongue. When we get back to the MPD, Kakashi handles the arrest procedures. I return to 2nd Unit to fill everyone in on what happened.

"What? You expect us to believe you actually threw the guy who was trying to escape?" Sai asks.

"I mean... I guess it was more like I just flipped him over," I reply.

"You're no joke, Sakura..." Naruto says.

"Were you like a problem child or something'? You used to get into fights?" Shikamaru asks.

"No way, she's nothing like Boss," Sai says.

"Well I'm scared..." Neji says.

"I guess we'd better be careful not to get on your bad side! Haha!" Naruto laughs.

"The idea of trying to tame a strong woman sounds rather appealing..." Sasuke says.

"Sasuke, you trying to get yourself killed?" Shikamaru asks.

They have all kinds of theories, but, unfortunately, they're all wrong

"Um. I used to practice Judo, that's all," I confess, "I wasn't a problem child, and I didn't go around starting fights with random people. I was trying to tell you guys about the case, but I guess you're not interested."

"Oh. Oh yeah, the case. So, he was dealing cocaine? Heroine?" Naruto asks.

Grateful to Naruto for getting us back on topic. I continue with what I was saying about the case.

"Yeah, we were able to confiscate the drugs and his day planner," I reply, "He actually had a list of his clients written in his planner."

"A list of the people he sells coke to. Unbelievable," Sai says.

"Yep, and there are quite a few famous people on the lsit, some really big names. This case is going to be more far-reaching than I thought."

"Famous people?" Shikamaru asks.

"Musicians, actors, TV personalities..."

"So this ring is a pretty big deal," Sasuke says.

"That means taking them down could get complicated," Naruto says.

Everyone falls silent; a serious mood falls over the room. Celebrity clients. That is going to make it harder for us to bust this case open. I remember Kakashi's comment, "This could get a little rough."

_I hope we can do this..._

"Man! I'm starving!" Kakashi says.

I hear the click of the door opening, and Kakashi walks into the room.

"What's with you guys? Did somebody's dog die or something?" Kakashi asks cheerfully.

"Um, we were just feeling a little worried about the rest of the investigation," I reply honestly.

Kakashi laughs heartily.

"It's alright. Just concentrate on working the case," Kakashi says.

It's alright. Hearing that phrase, that reassurance, even without any evidence to back it up, it lightens the mood in the office. Kakashi really is amazing when it comes to making everyone feel better.

"Let me handle the political details," Kakashi says, "The only thing you guys have to worry about is doing your job. A few things might change in our meetings.. but you guys are basically free to run your investigations as usual."

"We all listen to what Kakashi says, "Yes, sir!"

"Try to proceed with caution. That's all I ask," Kakashi says.

Kakashi shrugs his shoulders and gives us his eye crinkle smile. I can't seem to take my eyes off of his reliable, reassuring smile.


	4. Chapter 4

The man Kakashi and I went to question turns out to be a drug dealer. He had a planner with a list of his customers' names. A fair number of celebrities' names appear on the list.

"This could get a little rough..." Kakashi whispered.

His serious tone of voice alerted me to just how big of a case this really is.

"Okay, let's get this meeting started," Kakashi says, "Shikamaru, you pair up with Sasuke. Use your instincts, and Sasuke's level head and find out whatever you can. Sounds good?"

"Yes, sir," Shikamaru replies.

"Got it," Sasuke says.

"Naruto will be in charge of analyzing intel as it comes in," Kakashi looks at Naruto, "We need your powers of deduction to fit all the pieces together."

Naruto nods, "Okay."

"Sai, Neji, I want you two to be responsible for interrogating our dealer."

They both nod their heads, "Yes, sir."

Everyone describes their investigative plans for the day. Kakashi quickly analyzes their ideas, and puts together a broad plan of attack for the case."

"Haruno and I will check out the other spot we got a tip-off about," Kakashi says, "We leave this afternoon. Get everything ready by then."

I nod my head, "Understood."

"!st Unit is going to be double-checking the case analysis," Kakashi informs us, "and testimonials they get from Naruto."

"Why do we have to help you?" Gaara asks.

"Working with you misfits? How humiliating..." Kankuro says.

"You've gotta be freakin' kidding me..." Temari says.

The 1st Unit detectives look annoyed and mutter complaints.

_What jerks!_

"Look, assholes," Shikmaru says.

"Shikamaru," Kakashi says in a stern voice.

Angry, Shikamaru stands up. Kakashi raises an arm to hold him back, and looks out at the faces of everyone gathered in the room.

"It doesn't matter if you're in 1st Unit or 2nd Unit," Kakashi says sternly and low, "Right now, we're all investigating the same case. Only amateurs let grudges get in the way of the job. Are we clear?"

Kakashi keeps his voice low, but its power reverberates throughout the room.

"We're all professionals here, so let's keep our personal feelings to ourselves. Right now, we need to come together to solve this case. I'm not making any distinctions between units."

"Pfft... You're all talk," Gaara says.

"I don't think I'm all talk, but even if you do, it doesn't really matter," Kakashi says.

Kakashi looks straight at the three 1st Unit detectives.

"If we can't rely on you to work this case seriously, now's your chance to get out of here and crawl back into your hole."

"Hey..." Kankuro says.

"But if you've got any pride as detectives... stay right where you are and prove it," Kakashi says, "I'm a fair man. Even if you guys do think I'm full of shit, that's the truth."

Kakashi speaks firmly and resolutely to the 1st Unit detectives, and then turns back to face the larger group.

"I'll leave it to you all to work the details out for yourselves," he says, "Don't worry about politics, just do what you think is best for the case."

We all nod our heads, "Yes, sir."

"That's the fastest way, anyway. Leave the complicated stuff somebody else!" Kakashi says and laughs, then looks out over the faces in the room.

"Any questions?"

Kakashi waits a moment before turning to face 1st Unit once more.

"What's up? You guys decided not to go running back to your hole?" he asks.

"Pfft... We couldn't be less interested in working with you losers, but... This does seem like a good opportunity for us to show off our skills," Kankuro says.

The other two 1st Unit detectives nod.

"You've got more balls than I thought. Maybe I was wrong about you," Kakashi says.

Kakashi raises an eyebrow and grins his eye crinkle smile.

The three 1st Unit detectives sit with their mouths agape in apparent shock.

"Next, you guys need to show me what you're made of. Make me eat my words," he says.

Kakashi's dignified gaze makes me want to sit up a little straighter. My heart starts beating a bit harder.

_Wow... _

Direction, dignity, charisma. If you looked up 'leader' in the dictionary, I'm pretty sure you'd find a picture of him.

"Alright then, meeting adjourned!" Kakashi says.

Smiling warmly, Kakashi picks up some reports and heads out of the room.

_He's so cool..._

My eyes are glued to Kakashi as he leaves. I try, unsuccessfully, to calm my racing heart.

"Hey!" Shikamaru shouts towards me.

"Huh?"

"Quit makin' that dumb face," he says.

I spin around. Shikamaru and Naruto have been sitting there, their faces cupped in their hands, watching me.

"You look like you just had your heart stolen, Sakura," Naruto says.

"Well, Boss is a good dude," Shikamaru says.

"Do you like him!?" Naruto asks me.

"What!? N-no way!" I exclaim.

Flustered, I deny what they're saying.

"You know, though... Being with Boss could be a pain in the ass," Shikamaru says.

"A pain the ass? Why?," I ask.

"Girls are always into Boss," Naruto replies, "He's only 29, but he's already a lieutenant. Plus, he's good looking. That being said, I've never heard a single rumor about Boss and a girl."

"So, what you're trying to say is that he's not a player?" I ask.

"No, I mean that he's clueless. At least when it comes to women," Naruto replies.

"Clueless!?" I say surprised.

"Yeah, it's like he uses up all of his intuition and observations skills at work," Naruto says.

"I mean, the man seriously doesn't even realize when a chick is into him," Shikamaru says.

"True," Naruto agrees, "There was a girl making some serious eyes at him just the other day. Guess waht Boss said when we told him that."

"What? Like... 'Is she angry at me?' or something? I ask.

"Nope," Naruto replies, "He said, 'Oh, Naruto, all the girls love you! She's definitely looking at you."

"Huh?"

"I can be a bit clueless too, but I can at least tell if someone's looking at me or not," Naruto confesses, "She was definitely checking out Boss."

"Typical Boss," Shikamaru says.

"That's ironic, Boss just called me clueless yesterday," I say.

"He has no idea how clueless he really is," Naruto says.

"Dude's cluelessness goes beyond normal human levels," Shikamaru says.

"Yeah, I don't think he's got a very active love life," Naruto says, "I've never heard a rumor about him having a crush or anything."

"Maybe that's intentional. That could be the impression he wants to give off at work," I argue.

"Uh-uh, no way. Boss is the opposite of two-faced," Shikamaru argues.

"He acts the same with everyone," Naruto implies.

"And even still, chicks freakin' love him. Shit's not fair," Shikamaru states, "I'm the one who *really* knows how to give the ladies what they want..."

"I don't know whether to call you confused or just plain delusional," Sakura confesses.

"What!?" Shikamaru exclaims, "Y-you really think so?"

"You've got your work cut out for you, good luck," Naruto laughs and pats me on the shoulder, "I'm rooting for you"

"Okay..." I say.

_Wait, what?_

"I mean... No!"

"Huh? No?" Naruto asks with confusion.

"No! You've got the wrong idea!"

"What? You sure?" Shikamaru asks.

"Yes, of course I'm sure!" I say confidently.

"Riiiight," Shikamaru says sarcastically.

"Uh-huh..." Naruto agrees with Shikamaru.

They obviously don't believe me.

"Is just that Kakashi's such a good leader... And I was thinking it's really amazing how good he is at pulling the team together," I confess, "My old unit ran smoothly, but we didn't have anyone like Hatake. I guess we didn't need someone like him, but, regardless, I was... impressed."

"What? Ain't no way you were just 'impressed'" Shikamaru argues.

"I'm serious. This is my job. I wouldn't do anything... inappropriate," I hesitantly say.

"Seriously?" Naruto asks.

Shikamaru points at me, "You are no fun."

"I'm not trying to be 'fun'?" I argue.

I act angry, but inside I feel uncertain.

_Is that all? Is that really all I feel?_

In the back of my mind, I question myself.

It's the afternoon, and Kakashi and I go to the spot the tip-off mentioned.

"Here? This is where they're selling?" I ask surprised.

"Look that way," Kakashi says.

It's an affluent suburb. I'm a little surprised someone's dealing drugs here.

"This is the place... Looks like they really do have some wealthy clients," Kakashi agrees.

"I'm worried," I confess.

The drug ring must be even more established than I thought.

"Yeah, the guys behind this aren't just everyday thugs," Kakashi says.

"That's apparent."

"Regardless, we've got to get to the bottom of this."

"Yeah."

A few hours later into the stakeout. The sky burns orange as the sun sets over the peaceful neighborhood, and a lone man appears. He wears a suit, but has a sharpness about him that leads one to believe he's no ordinary salary man.

"Hatake..."

"Yeah, he's no civilian. He could be the dealer."

"I knew it..."

The man stops to make a phone call and then walks off.

"Let's follow him," Kakashi commands.

"Okay."

We carefully follow him down the quiet residential street. There aren't any pedestrians to hid behind like there would be in the city. We keep our distance and trail the suspect. Without warning, he breaks into a run. Kakashi clicks his tongue.

"We've been spotted. After him!" he yells.

"Got it!"

We give up on trying to be discrete and take off running after the man.

"Stop!" Kakashi yells.

The man looks back at us. He picks up speed and turns down a narrow alley.

"Oh!" I yell.

My foot catches on a rock. I trip.

"Haruno!" Kakashi shouts.

Kakashi stops and looks back at me.

"I'm fine. Follow him!" I yell at Kakashi.

I force myself to stand and yell to Kakashi. Kakashi nods, and continues running after the suspect.

_Ow..._

It looks like I managed to twist my ankle. Careful of my injury, I take off in the direction of Kakashi and the suspect.

"Haruno!" kakashi yells.

I look around for the source of Kakashi's voice. There's no sign of the man from before. It looks like he got away somehow.

_Damn it. It's all my fault..._

"I'm sorry..." I apologize.

"What are you talking about? It looks like you really messed up that ankle."

"I'm okay. More importantly, the dealer... I'm so sorry."

"Don't apologize. Can you walk on the leg? Let me have a look."

At his request I sit down on a nearby ledge. Kakashi squats down to look at my foot.

"Huh?" I say.

Kakashi's hands roll up my pant leg.

"It's a little swollen," he says calmly.

Gently and carefully, he takes off my shoe.

_K-Kakashi!_

Holding my foot as if it's something delicate and precious, he examines my ankle.

"Does it hurt when I do this?"

"No, that's fine."

My ankle feels like it's on fire. And it's not because of the injury. I feel my body getting hot. It's like heat spreads from whatever spot he touches.

"Okay, how about this?"

He moves my ankle at a different angle and looks up at me with a worried face.

_I can't look at your face right now..._

The way Kakashi is kneeling looks really uncomfortable.

"That's okay too," I say.

_My heart is the part that's not okay..._

"Sakura?" he says softly.

"Y-yes?" I stammer.

"Are you okay? Your face is red. A bad sprain could lead to a fever."

Kakashi's expression is serious as he looks into my eyes.

"No, um..." I trail off.

"And your pulse is a bit elevated as well..." he states, "You could get worse."

He takes my pulse at my ankle and frowns even more.

_What should I do? I think I'm going to die of embarrassment. _

I stand up and try to get myself out of this situation.

"I'm fine! Look!" I confidently say.

I try jumping up and down to cover up the fact that my heart is beating out of my chest.

Kakashi stares at me.

"You're clearly only putting weight on one leg," he implies.

"Haha! You got me! But it'll be fine once I bandage it up."

Are you sure you're not pushing yourself too hard?" he asks worriedly.

"It's totally fine, really. I've dealt with injuries like this before," I reply with a smile.

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

He nods, "Okay."

Kakashi looks at me skeptically and sighs. Furrowing his brow, he chuckles and stands up.

"You little..."

Kakashi smiles and tousles my hair.

"What is it?" I ask.

"Nothing. I was just thinking how cute you are."

_C-cute! Did he say cute just now!?_

I want to scream, but I'm a grown up so I do my best to control myself, and keep my freak out a strictly internal one.

_How in the world am I supposed to react to that!_

All I can do is try to make it into a joke.

"That's what I like to hear! More compliments, please!" I smile.

"Okay then, you're cute, cute, cute!" Kakashi says with a smile.

"Um... Sorry, I was trying to be funny, but that came out pretty lame... Go ahead, take your best shot at me. i deserve it."

"Oh, okay, sure. Um... you really think you're all that!? You MUST be playin'!"

I just stare at him.

"Took you long enough... And why are you talking like Shikamaru?"

"Haha! Sorry, sorry," he apologizes, "It's just that there's something about you that makes me want to look out for you. You have a puppy-esque quality about you."

"P-puppy..."

So I don't even qualify as human?

"And Shikamaru's always quick with the quippy insults, so I thought of him," he implies.

"Ohhh..."

"Anyway, I'm glad your injury doesn't seem to be too serious," Kakashi says, and puts a hand on my head.

He pats me on the head and smooths my mussed hair.

"You gotta be more careful. Don't make me worry about you."

Kakashi looks at me with kind eyes. I don't say anything, and just look at him with a smile.

_Oh... Uh-oh, here I go again..._

The pounding heart I had worked so hard to calm starts racing again.

"Here, grab on to me. We should get going," he says.

Kakashi offers me his arm like it's the most natural thing in the world for him to do.

"Uh..."

"You want me to carry you back?" he asks.

Seeing my flustered reaction, a mischievous smile appears on Kakashi's face.

"Uh. I'll walk. I can walk!"

"Okay, then, here, grab on."

I nod my head, "Okay..."

I take Kakashi's hand and start hobbling. I'm 24 years old... I'm not the type to turn beet red and have a mini-heart attack every time I touch a guy. But... for some reason, I break into a sweat whenever Kakashi touches me.

_Wait a minute, could I really? This is bad... _

My loud heartbeat echoes in my ears.


	5. Chapter 5

"Guys, gather 'round for a sec," Kakashi says.

The day after we saw the Chief of Detectives, Sakai, on the drug dealer's turf, Kakashi gets everyone in 2nd Unit together for a meeting.

"I don't want what I'm about to tell you guys to leave 2nd Unit."

Everyone's expressions harden when they see the serious look on Kakashi's face.

"Yesterday, at the second tip-off spot, we witnessed the Chief of the Detective Bureau, Sakai, make contact with an unidentified male."

All of us have a confused look on our faces, "Huh?"

"What do you mean, 'make contact'?" Sai asks.

"He passed the unidentified male what appeared to be a memo as he walked by," Kakashi replies.

"Was that all?" Naruto asks.

"That was all, no words were exchanged," Kakashi replies.

"So what kinda dude was it that walked by?" Shikamaru asks.

"Haruno can tell you about that," Kakashi replies and turns to me.

"Sure," I say, stand and describe the man from yesterday, "Japanese male, early 20s, wearing a gray long sleeve shirt jeans, and a black cap. His hair was light brown. Just an average-looking kid."

"Could this guy be a relative of Sakai's?" Sai asks.

"We'll have to look into the exact makeup of his family, but I do know that he doesn't have a son. His wife left him last year. He has a daughter, but she doesn't live at home." Sasuke replies.

"You really know a lot about Sakai..." Sai says.

"My Thursday girl keeps me up to date," Sasuke says.

"No principles," Neji mutters

"I take that as a compliment," Sasuke says.

"Even if he were a relative, wordlessly passing notes on the street isn't exactly normal behavior," Naruto implies.

"Nine times out of ten this kind of thing means..." Sai trails off.

"Kickbacks," Neji says.

"Yeah," Sai says.

"He could be hiding evidence to make some coin on the low," Shikamaru says.

"Nothing's been proven yet, but... damn it, this is a downer," Kakashi says.

Everyone sighs in frustration.

"Coin on the low," I ask.

_What does that mean?_

"It means he's accepting money from that drug ring, Sakura," Naruto replies.

Sensing my confusion, Naruto explains.

"You sure are a real detective, Haruno?" Shikamaru asks.

"W-well, we weren't exactly dealing with police corruptino in my old precinct," I defend myself.

We helped people find their lost pets and catch peeping toms. I've never dealt with a dirty cop before.

"That was uncalled for," Neji says towards Shikamaru.

"Boss, in the last few years, has there been a change in the number of drug-related investigations? A decrease in the number of cases would line up with our suspicions," Sasuke says.

"It's the other way around. The number of drug cases has increased since Sakai became Chief of Detectives," Kakashi says.

"That's weird..." Naruto says.

"Things aren't exactly as they seem. That's all we know for certain at this point," Kakashi says, "Anyway, get what you can on Sakai, but be quiet about it. We've gotta keep this looking like a straight investigation. We don't know anything for certain yet."

Kakashi looks at each of us. He speaks slowly, choosing each word carefully. A nervous, almost electric energy fills the room.

"None of this is to leave this room," Kakashi orders us, "Keep this quiet until we have the necessary evidence. If anyone gets wind of this, it's all over. So, whatever you do, proceed with caution."

We nod our heads, "Yes, sir."

We each raise our heads to look at Kakashi. We're committed to solving this case.

"Awwmmm," Naruto says in delight.

Lunch time

We poke at our convenience store bento lunches. Naruto lets out a giant yawn.

"You okay?" I ask.

"I'm bored to death of restaurant and convenience store food..." he complains.

"Why don't you cook something?" I ask.

"My cooking sucks," Naruto replies.

"Mine's worse," Shikamaru implies, "Don't you have anyone-" he stops mid-sentence.

"Uh... W-what?" I ask.

The mood in the room suddenly changes. I stop myself mid-sentence.

"How oblivious," Neji says.

"Sorry?" I ask in confusion.

"If I had someone to cook for me, I wouldn't be complaining about how sick I am of convenience store food. Right, Shikamaru?" Naruto asks.

"Man. You trying to pick a fight, Haruno? Just say the word," Shikamaru says.

"Other than Sasuke, everyone's single," Sai says.

"O-oh," I stammer.

It looks like a struck a nerve.

"None of us have anybody, but Sasuke's got seven girlfriends!" Naruto shouts.

"Don't be rude. I don't have that many," Sasuke says.

"Dude, don't play. We know you got a girl for every freaking day of the week," Shikamaru says.

"Wednesday resigned. I'm down to six," Sasuke says matter of factly.

"S-six?!" I exclaim.

"Don't judge, Haruno," Sai says, "Six is low for Sasuke."

"Um... Okay?"

"I would give anything for a home-cooked meal!," Naruto says dreamily and cups his face in his hands, dejected.

"I feel ya, man..." Shikamaru agrees.

2nd Unit's door opens.

Yawning and stretching, Kakashi walks into the room.

"Oh, yeah! We should all go to Boss's house!" Naruto says.

"Huh?" I say in confusion.

"Hm?" Kakashi says, unclear of what's going on.

"Nice. Let's do it," Shikamaru says.

Neither Kakashi nor I understand what everyone's talking about.

"Boss, save us!" Naruto shouts, "We'll lose our will to live if we have to eat another convenience store meal."

"At this rate, we won't be able to concentrate on our cases," Shikamaru says.

"It's been too long since we've had Boss's home-cooking."

"And alcohol. Don't forget about the drinks.," Shikamaru implies.

_Home cooking? Kakashi's?_

I can't tell if they're joking or not. I look to Kakashi's face for a clue.

"Yeah, I guess it has been awhile, huh?" Kakashi says.

This doesn't seem like anything out of the ordinary to Kakashi. They must do this all the time.

"Alright. So, when's good for you guys?" Kakashi asks us.

"Today, man! Today," Shikamaru says.

"Yeah, I'm good with today, too," Naruto agrees.

"I have time today," Sai says.

"Me too," Neji says.

"I'll have to reschedule today's girl for next week," Sasuke says.

"Today? You guys must be desperate," Kakashi says, laughs and agrees, "Well... Okay."

"Alright! We doing this!" Shikamaru says gladly and turns towards me, "How about you, Haruno, can you do tonight?"

"I'm free, but..." I trail off.

"Yeah, I figured you'd be." .

"Um, that was clearly an insult. Do you expect me to just let that slide?" I ask annoyed.

"Oh, relax, we're all friends here," Naruto implies.

Naruto kindly rests his hand on my shoulder.

"This is going to be your first time at Boss's place, right, Sakura?"

"Yeah. Do you guys go over there a lot?" I ask.

"Every once in awhile. We hang out, drink, and eat Hatake's food," Naruto replies, "It's always at times like this when we're starved for a home-cooked meal."

"So, Hatake cooks..." I trail off.

"Haha. He doesn't look like the type, does he?"

"Nope."

"His cooking reflects his personality, though... Hearty food, lots of flavor. It's really good so get ready!" Naruto shouts.

Naruto pats me on the arm before springing up and returning to his seat.

_Kakashi's apartment..._

I'm kind of nervous about going, but at the same time I can't wait. I throw myself into work to distract myself from the anxiety I feel.

A few hours later...

When the clock strikes nine, Kakashi closes the file he's holding and stands up, "Alright. Time to get out of here."

"Okay, Hatake, see ya!" the guys say.

"Huh? Isn't everyone supposed to go over to your place?" I ask Kakashi.

No one else seems to be getting up.

"We'll go when we finish-up what we're doing," Naruto explains, "I'ts always like this, we trickle out one at a time. We'll go a little later than usual tonight. We just asked today, so Hatake hasn't had any time to prep."

I nod my head, "Oh, I see... In that case, is there anything I can help you with?"

"You're already done with work, Haruno?" Kakashi asks.

"Yep, I just finished."

"All done, huh? You're coming with me," Kakashi says.

I give him a confused look, "Huh?"

"You're my shopping and setup assistant," he explains.

I nod my head, "Oh, okay. Got it."

I turn off my computer and get ready to leave.

"You sure about that, Boss?" Shikamaru asks.

"What?"

"If you take her with you, you won't have any time to hide your Icha Icha books."

"Shit. I didn't think of that. They're all over the place!"

"That's a code red," Sasuke says.

"S-seriously?" I stutter.

I'm actually kind of surprised.

"Of course not. I'm just messing around. Come on, let's get going, Haruno," Kakashi says.

"O-okay..."

_So... That was just a joke?_

Relieved, I start to follow Kakashi out of 2nd Unit, when...

"We're going to have to go even later," Naruto says.

"Yeah," Neji agrees.

"Not me, I'm gonna do my best to cock-block," Shikamaru says.

"That'll never while you're ahead," Sai says.

"What-," Shikamaru says.

I fall speechless, "Uh, um..."

Shikamaru looks at me, "Huh? I thought you left! Hurry it up and get outta here!"

"Okay..." I hurry after Kakashi.

We're at a supermarket. Kakashi stands, deep in thought, in front of some vegetables.

_Maybe this is a bad time to talk to him..._

He glares at the bean sprouts in his hands.

_What do I do? If I just leave him like this it looks like he could be here for eternity._

Without saying a word, I cautiously walk up and look Kakashi in the eyes. He seems exasperated.

"What's wrong, Haruno?" he asks.

"I was going to ask you the same thing," I reply, "Are you okay?"

"Huh?"

"Are you having some kind of secret love affair with those bean sprouts?"

"No. Why? What gives you that impression?"

"Well, you've got four packs of them in your basket," I point out, "and it looks like you're mesmerized by the ones you've got in your hands."

"Huh? Oh! Y-you're right!"

Flustered, he hurries to put the bean sprouts back. He looks so cute, I can't help but laugh.

"Hey. Who do you think you're laughing at?"

"Sorry. It won't happen again."

We look at each other for a second, and I start laughing again.

"Hey, what'd I say!"

Kakashi quietly chuckles at my unsuccessful attempt to stifle my laughter.

I wait a minute before asking him the question that had been on my mind.

"Was it about the case?" I ask.

He turns towards me, "Hm?"

"I was just wondering if you had been thinking about the case,"

Kakashi quietly laughs, looking down at the floor, "You could tell?"

"It was just a guess... I've been thinking about it too."

"Oh..." Kakashi glances at me for a second before lowering his eyes to the ground, "I don't know where this case is going to take us. I feel like we've gone off the rails... No matter how hard I try, I can't understand. I can't imagine how this is going to turn out."

"Well, that's to be expected!"

"Huh?"

Kakashi looks a little down, so I do my best to sound positive.

"How could a detective as devoted as you, understand someone who could lose sight of the whole purpose of a police force?" I ask.

For a member of the force to work with a thug ring...

I continue, "No matter how hard you try, you'll never be able to understand someone like that! You don't need to understand right now."

"Haruno..."

"Work the case and the truth will come out," I say confidently.

Kakashi nods his head, "You're know, you're a good man."

"Um... Is that supposed to be a compliment? You know I'm a girl, right?"

Kakashi smiles, "Oh, yeah. You are."

I pout, "T-that was really mean."

Kakashi bursts out laughing, and we walk away from the vegetable department.

For a man that lives alone, Kakashi's apartment is pretty clean. And there are no Icha Icha books in site. It feels lived in and comfortable.

_So this is where Kakashi lives..._

I stand in the living room and sneak a look at Kakashi. He's busy cooking. He looks like a pro. Kakashi's cooking is rough and masculine. It really does remind me of Kakashi himself. He stir fries coarsely chopped vegetables in a big skillet. He adds white wine to a pot filled with sauteing clams, before taking a sip straight from the bottle. He tears the lettuce by hand, and chops the greens and cucumbers into large chunks. He dumps them all onto a big plate, and, while laughing something on TV, adds parmesan cheese and croutons to taste.

_He makes it all look so easy, and he looks so cool doing it. How does he manage to pull that off?_

_"Hearty food, lots of flavor."_

I remember Naruto's words, and my stomach growls.

_Wow, that was loud. I guess I'm hungry._

Kakashi pokes his head out of the kitchen, "Hm? Haruno? Did you say something?"

"Yeah, my stomach said it's hungry."

I laugh a little to hide my embarrassment. Kakashi smiles.

"Haha... Typical Haruno. I should've known it was your stomach."

I giggle, "Hehehe."

Kakashi chuckles, "That reminds me, the guys are taking forever to get here..."

"Yeah..."

It's already after 11 o'clock.

"It's late so I'll lock the door, just in case," he says.

*click*

The sound of the door being locked echoes in the empty living room. My heart pounds.

_So... We're all alone... in a locked apartment._

We''ve been alone this whole time, but, for some reason, I'm suddenly very aware of that fact. I'm quiet from being lost in thought.

Noticing my silence, Kakashi walks up to check on me, "Haruno? Is something wrong?"

_Uh-oh... _

His body this close to my own makes me feel hot all over. I feel a rush of butterflies in my stomach.

_What am I going to do? I bet my face is beet red! _

I look down to hide my flushed cheeks. A moment later the room is enveloped in darkness.

"Huh? What? H-Hatake!" I yell.


	6. Chapter 6

We're at Kakashi's apartment, making dinner for everyone in 2nd Unit, when the room suddenly went dark.

"W-what's going on?" I exclaim.

_What in the world!? Is this a lackout? A terrorist attack!?_

"Haruno, calm down."

"Hatake... Ow!"

In my panic, I accidentally bump my leg on a table.

"Geez..."

Kakashi's hands touch my hands. An instant later, I'm wrapped in his comforting embrace.

"You okay?" he asks calmly.

_How could I possibly be okay!?_

"Calm down... okay?" Kakashi whispers softly in my ear.

His large hands rub my back like he's comforting a child.

_There's no way I'm going to be able to 'calm down' while he's doing this!_

My heart is pounding so hard that I'm worried he'll be able to feel it.

_No. I've got to calm down. He's just treating me like a puppy. I can't read too much into this._

I feel Kakashi's warmth with my whole body. The more I try to avoid my feelings, the stronger they become.

_Kakashi is my boss... I can't have feelings for him. I just can't._

"Whoa, Nelly! There, there..."

_"Whoa, Nelly?" Hm?_

"Uh, I'm not a horse!" I protest.

Kakashi chuckles, "Are you calm now?"

"Yeah, sorry about that little freak out," I apologize, "What happened?"

"I probably just tripped the breaker."

"The breaker?"

"If I use the rice cooker, the microwave, the oven and the washing machine at once, sometimes the power switches off," he explains as he stands in the darkness.

"The washing machine was on?"

"Yeah, it's on a timer," he says, "Ow!"

I hear a dull thud.

"Hatake, calm down..." I say.

"Jerk..."

I hear a witch flip and the lights come back on. Suddenly everything looks normal again.

"Oh... good," I say relieved.

"Damn circuit breaker..."

I hear the ding-dong of the doorbell.

"Oh, they're here," Kakashi says.

Kakashi and the men greet each other. Kakashi waves them in and the 2nd Unit guys the into the apartment.

"Cheers!" everyone says.

The room is filled with the sounds of our glasses clinking together.

"This looks fantastic!" I say cheerfully.

I praise Kakashi's efforts before digging into some clam sauce pasta.

_It tastes amazing! _

"This is great!" Naruto shouts.

"Delicious, as always," Sasuke says.

"Yeah," Neji says.

"Look. Shikamaru and Sakura are too busy eating to even comment," Sai says.

Our mouths are too full to talk, Shikamaru and I express ourselves by simply pointing angrily at Sai.

Few minutes later...

"So, if it's like that, then what's the Chief of Detectives trying to pull, anyway?" Shikamaru asks.

"He might not even have a goal in mind," Sai replies, "We can't rule out the possibility that he's acting under coercion."

"But that wouldn't explain the increase in the number of drug busts," Naruto implies.

"That's true," Sai says.

"We need to figure out what the other side is getting out of this," Sasuke says.

The number of drug busts has gone up since Sakai became Chief of Detectives. One would assume that a drug ring would see that as bad for business...

"We have no idea what either party is getting out of this deal..." I say.

"There's gotta be something bringing them together," Shikamaru says, "Somebody's gotta be getting paid."

"What if we took a look at case files from previous investigations?" Neji asks.

Kakashi sighs deeply, "That could be a problem. Old case files are all kept in the archives, but access to those case files is strictly monitored. If we tried to take a look at another unit's case, a record would be left showing what had bee accessed, by whom and when."

"We couldn't pretend to look at something from a 2nd Unit case, but actually check out some case files from drug-related investigations?" I ask.

"Old case files are strored in an electronic filing cabinet," Kakashi replies, "Every unit has their own designated area, and their case information is stored there. It would be great if it were like a normal bookcase, and we could just go up and secretly steal a case file off a shelf, but we don't have free access to other unit's folders.

"Oh..." I say.

"So basically, it's not that we can't access their case files, it's just that it's almost impossible for us to do so without anyone finding out." Naruto says.

"Yeah, that's out problem in a nutshell," Kakashi says.

"No access to old case files... This is not going to be easy," Sai says.

"If only we could access them while concealing our identity somehow..." Sasuke says.

Kakashi looks up from the table, "Well, that just means that it'll be hard for us to read old case files, that's all. We'll get to the bottom of this case another way. We're not just gonna sit by and let this corruption slide. Dirty cops make me sick," Kakashi says, punctuating his statement by tossing back a gulp of his drink.

"Boss is getting all riled up," Neji says.

"Man, Boss can't stand a crooked cop," Shikamaru says.

"He hates liars, always has," Naruto says.

"Always has?" I ask.

"Yeah, all the way back to when he used to head-up a motorcycle gang," Sai says.

"M-motorcycle gang!?" I exclaim.

"What? You didn't know about that?" Sai says.

"Yeah. If anyone really got him angry, that was it for them, and dislotalty was unforgivable," Sasuke says.

"Anyway, no joke, he was the boss of the whole Tokyo area," Shikamaru says.

"Hey! What the hell are you telling Haruno!?" Kakashi exclaims.

"Relax, it's only the truth," Naruto says.

"Hatake, are they serious?" I ask.

"I mean, the stuff they're saying isn't total fiction, but..." Kakashi replies.

"Is it true or not?" I ask.

"I just like bikes, that's all," Kakashi replies, "I wasn't into all those custom jobs with noisy, high-pitched mufflers. I love Harleys. That's the only bike for me."

"Oh..." I say.

_Custom jobs? What's a high-pitched muffler? He must've been deep into this motorcycle gang stuff._

"I mean, fights would always turn into such a big deal."

I nod my head, "Uh-huh..."

_So, he's saying he got into a lot of fights?_

"Even guys I didn't actually know would name-drop that they knew me to try to intimidate their opponents. I always got stuck cleaning up the mess in the end."

_So, he was so scary, that guys mentioned his name to strike fear into the hearts of their enemies? _

"Is Boss really going to keep going on about this stuff?" Sasuke asks.

"Look at Sakura's face..." Naruto says.

"You can tell exactly what she's thinking, it's written all over her face," Sai says.

"Yeah. She's freaking out," Neji says.

"Somebody, help her out," Shikamaru says.

Kakashi struggles to explain his potty past. Meanwhile, the other 2nd Unit guys sit at his side, whispering secretively.

"But what're you gonna do?" Kakashi says, "I got them to straighten up their acts, so we could ride honest."

_So he was able to unify the motorcycle gang in the end..._

"Long story short... Basically, Boss really hates dishonesty," Naruto says.

Naruto places his hand on my shoulder.

"And his past is what made him the charismatic leader we've all come to adore today," he continues.

"I guess so..." I say.

_He's probably right._

"Well put, Naruto," Sai says.

"You could have helped me out a little earlier!" Kakashi lets out an exasperated laugh and jokingly punches Naruto on the arm.

"Sorry, your story was interesting... I got all wrapped up in listening to it," Naruto says.

_I guess you don't learn to be a self-assured leader without life experience. Or maybe it was innate leadership skills that allowed him to charm people. _

It's probably a combination of both. I steal a glance at Kakashi. Kakashi sits, relaxed, with a knee up, and his chin resting in his hand. His right hand casually brings his glass of white wine to his masked lips.

_His arms are so big... _

I remember that, just a few minutes ago, I was wrapped up tightly in those arms, and feel an intense rush of butterflies at the thought. I vividly re-live the feeling of being held in the dark.

_Gah! This is NOT the time to be remembering that! _

Embarrassed, I take a big bite of bean sprouts.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me." Naruto says.

It looks like he remembered something.

"Hm?" I ask.

"The lights were off when we got here. What happened?" he asks.

*cough* *cough*

I almost choke on my food.

"Whoa, that was quite the reaction, Haruno..." Sasuke says.

"We struck a nerve," Neji says.

"Sketchy..." Shikamaru says.

"What exactly were you two up to, Haruno?" Sasuke asks.

"N-nothing! I just got a bean sprout stuck in my throat just now, that's all!" I say quickly.

I don't have anything to be ashamed of, but my cheeks flush red anyway.

"Alright, guys, don't tease her too much," Kakashi jokingly scolds the guys.

"Boss, what did you do with the electricity off?" Naruto asks.

"It wasn't that we were doing anything, really. I just tripped the breaker, that's all," Kakashi replies.

_Yeah... From Kakashi's perspective, nothing happened at all... _

I feel tiny pang of sadness.

"Whaaaat? That's all?" Naruto asks.

"Haruno freaked out a little in the dark, and umped her leg on the table," Kakashi explains.

"Boring. Sounds like nothing happened," Sasuke says.

"Hey now, don't go could have in the same category as you, Sasuke," Kakashi says.

"Nice burn, Boss," Naruto says.

"It's true though, if it were me, I wouldn't have stopped until..." Sasuke trails off.

"S-Sasuke!" I stutter.

"Boss would never. I can't even imagine him making a move on a subordinate," Naruto says.

"That much should be obvious," Kakashi says, "I'm in charge of this unit. I could never mix work and pleasure."

Ouch. I feel another pang of sadness.

"I said that I wouldn't cross that line, and it's my responsibility to set an example. How could you guys trust me if I didn't keep my word?" Kakashi asks.

Everyone nods in agreement.

"Boss, you're kind of awesome," Naruto says.

"Damn, Boss! Could you be trying any harder to make yourself sound cool?" Shikamaru asks.

"Hey, hey! No making fun of your superiors!" Kakashi replies.

I stand quietly to the side as everyone jokes around. I pick up the empty plates and bring them to the kitchen.

_"I'm in charge of this unit. I could never mix work and pleasure."_

Kakashi's words play on a loop in my head.

_There's no way Kakashi would ever get involved with a detective in his own unit._

As I wash the dishes, I sigh for the millionth time. For some reason, I feel really down.

_Wait a minute! What am I feeling depressed for!?_

Suddenly aware of my own train of thought, I panic.

_What does it matter to me if he doesn't date subordinates? It doesn't, right?_

Kakashi is my boss. He's just nice to me because he's a good boss.

_I shouldn't have a problem with what he said, but... _

I freeze for a moment, shocked.

_Oh my god! No! I... like... him..._

"I know we were one person short out there! What're you washing dishes for!?" Kakashi suddenly says.

"Eeek!" I say, surprised by his presence.

*CRASH*

Surprised by Kakashi's sudden appearance, I get flustered and drop a plate.

"I-I'm sorry!" I stutter and apologize quickly.

I hurry to clean up the broken plate pieces.

"Ow!"

My index finger starts bleeding.

"Hey! You okay?"

Kakashi gently takes my hand in his own.

"You're bleeding."

Worried, he looks into my eyes.

"I'm okay. It's nothing serious," I assure him.

The cut on my finger aches in pain.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have let you wash the dishes..." he apologizes.

The hand Kakashi is so gently holding burns with heat. My heart starts beating like crazy. My body feels hot all over.

_What is this? Why do I...? Why does this happen to me when I'm close to him? _

"Haruno? Are you alright?" he asks.

I close my eyes tightly and try to quiet my racing heart.


	7. Chapter 7

"...and that's about it" Sasuke says.

Everyone finishes announcing their investigation plans for the day. It's Kakashi's turn to speak.

"Sounds good. Everybody, keep up the good work," he says, "Remember, continue to take every precaution to ensure Sakai doesn't find out about this. He's in charge of all of the detectives in the MPD. his sphere of influence as Chief of the Detective Bureau is not to be underestimated. If he finds out about this investigation before we get the evidence we need, we're in trouble."

We all nod our heads in agreement, "Yes, sir."

Kakashi turns towards me, "Haruno, could you run down to the archives for me?"

"Huh?"

Kakashi was telling us just yesterday about how difficult it would e to access past case files.

"Can I do that?" I ask.

"Hm? Oh... No, not about Sakai's case. I would love nothing more than to be able to get some info on that, but... Unfortunately, it's about something else." Kakashi chuckles, and hands me a post-it-note, "Take out all the files I have written down here."

"Okay."

Kakashi turns to Naruto, "Naruto! You free for a minute?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Show Haruno the way to the archives, and explain how to check out files."

Naruto nods his head, "Got it. Shall we, Sakura?"

"Sure," I say and follow Naruto out of the room.

"Um, okay,so before you go to the archives, you have to go to the Records Department."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Show your badge, write down your name, unit, and the date on their check-in sheet. They'll give you a key number to write down. After that, they'll give you the key and a permit to enter the archives. Even if someone's already in the room and the door's unlocked, you can't go in unless you have a permit.. Do you have your badge?"

"Of course."

"Then, once you fill out the file's check-out log, and get a stamp from Records, you can check out a case file."

"Whoa... They do not let go of those files easily!" I say surprised.

"Well, they are case files. They're kind of essential if you want to prosecute a criminal," he says matter of factly.

As we walk, we hear the voices of two other detectives walking down the hallway.

"Huh? What happened to your morning meeting?" Detective 1 asks Detective 2.

"Already over. Without the Chief here, we finished up in no time," Detective 2 replies.

"Hah. Lucky you. Sakai sure is long-winded..."

"Tell me about it! His secretary was saying he won't be in until the afternoon. I'm free as a bird until then!"

"Do your job!"

"Haha... Yeah, yeah..."

The two detectives walk off cheerfully. According to those two, Sakai isn't in the Metro PD building right now. He won't be back until this afternoon.

"Hey, Naruto..." I start to say.

"Yeah, I heard. Let's just go to the archives for now..."

Maybe... If the key isn't checked out and no one else is in the archives right now, we might be able to look at some old case files. Hopeful, we head towards the Record Department. We check out with Records, no one's in the archives right now.

"So we'll be able to get a look at some old files?"

"Probably, if we go right now."

"Let's run back up to Special Investigations and check with Hatake."

"I'll lock the door to the archives once we're inside. That way, no one else will be able to get in," I say.

"No can do, the door can only be locked and unlocked from the outside," Naruto says.

"Oh..."

"There's got to be something we can do..."

We think for a moment. Kakashi said he'd, "Love something more," than to be able to read some old case files. He said it like he was joking, but I bet that's how he really feels. I can't let this chance pass me by.

"Naruto, I'll go into the archives. You lock the door from the outside," I explain.

"Uh..."

"Then, I want you to go tell Hatake what we're doing. When you come back to the archives, bring a camera.. That way, even if we can't check out other units' files, we can have some semblance of a record of what I find in there."

Naruto nods his head, "Got it. Sounds good."

I hear the click of the door being locked from the outside. With the door locked, I should be able to look at some old files without being seen. When Naruto comes back with the camera, I'll quickly photograph some files, grab the files Kakashi wants, and bring them to Records to get stamped. Even if it takes a little while, I can use that fact that this is my first time in the archives as an excuse. That should be believable. I go over my plan in my head, and search for drug-related case files. It looks like they're stored in C-4, C-5 and C-6.

_Found them! _

I push the button to open C-4, and a light comes on. The bookshelves move to the side, creating an aisle for me to walk down.

_Sakai has been Chief of Detective Bureau for four years..._

I have to check cases that happened in the last four years.

_This is the wrong bookshelf..._

A quick look reveals that the most recent files here are dated six years ago. I push the button to open up C-5. There's a beeping sound. The bookshelves slide down to open up an aisle for C-5. I feel like I hear a click coming from the opposite direction of the beeping.

"Naruto?" I ask.

There's no answer. I don't hear anything.

_Maybe it was just the AC or something?_

I stand in the silent room and let out a little sigh. All this secrecy is putting me on edge. But Naruto is the only person with a key. I shouldn't have anything to worry about.

_I can't just stand here freaking out! I've got to hurry and find those files!_

I shake my head, and look back at the shelves. There are files from five years ago. I find files from four years ago when I walk a little farther down the aisle.

_What am I going to do? There are so many files. I don't know which one to look at first..._

There are way more files from four years ago than I expected. I randomly pick up one case report. I quickly flip through the file.

"Looks like we've got a thief on our hands," someone says.

I jump at the sound of someone's low, cold voice. I turn around. It's Chief Sakai. I'm too shocked to speak.

"It's not very nice to secretly root through another unit's cases," Sakai says.

_What is Sakai doing here!?_

The door should've been locked. I should've been able to pull this off without anyone finding out.

"I'm sorry. I'm not sure I understand what you're trying to say," I respond stiffly in an effort to hide my panic.

"Who sent you here?" he asks.

"No one. More importantly, may I ask what you're doing here?" I ask, "I was under the impression that you would be out of the office until this afternoon."

"I was, but I came back early when I heard some idiot was poking through all the old drug-related case files," Sakai explains, "An idiot like you, apparently."

"These files are relevant to an ongoing investigation," I explain.

"Yeah, right! If you were really looking at these for an ongoing investigation, why would you have locked the door?"

"And how exactly were you able to open that locked door?" I ask.

"How did I open it? There's no reason for me to share that information with an amoeba like you. You've got no right to be digging around here."

"Is my research inconveniencing you in some way?" I ask.

Sakai scowls at me, clearly annoyed, and grabs me by the collar, "Look here, Princess... If I ever catch you snooping around again, I'll..."

"You'll what?" a quiet, but powerful voice speaks up from behind me.

"Hatake!" I exclaim.

Kakashi and Naruto stand behind me.

"Hatake... It was you!" Sakai shouts.

Kakashi gives Sakai a dirty look, "Could you please take your hands off my subordinate?"

Sakai lets go of my collar and turns to face Kakashi.

"Were you the one who sent her here?" Sakai asks Kakashi.

"Yes, she came here under my orders," he replies.

"No!" I protest.

"Sakura..." Naruto says.

I shake my head no. The look Naruto gives me says, "Let Boss handle this."

"What were you thinking?" Sakai asks.

"Well, we're working this case, and there's this one thing that I just can't seem to wrap my head around... Can you guess what that is, Sakai?" Kakashi asks.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Sakai replies and twists his face into something resembling a smile, "Understood, Hatake?"

"Yes, sir."

"I told you guys to investigate the names on that dealer's list," Sakai says.

"Yeah."

"You'd be wise to do as you're told. It would be nothing for me to destroy you. Got it?"

"If you weren't the Chief of Detectives, I would say that sounds almost like a threat," Kakashi says.

"A threat? No, no, just a well-intentioned reminder," Sakai says and laughs contemptuously, "Remember, if it suited me, I could dissolve 2nd Unit in a flash."

_He wouldn't!_

Powerless, we watch as Sakai slowly walks out of the archives.

That afternoon...

I take a break from work and look for Kakashi. We keep missing each other. I want to apologize for this morning, but I haven't gotten a chance to talk to him.

_Found him!_

I see Kakashi. He's leaning against the vending machine, drinking coffee. He looks like he's thinking. He hasn't noticed that I'm here.

"Um... Hatake..." I start saying.

"Oh, Sakura. What's up?" he asks.

"I'm really sorry about what happened in the archives." I apologize and bow deeply, "I don't know if I have any right to apologize or not... If 2nd Unit was disbanded..."

_It would be all my fault..._

"Don't worry, that's not going to happen," Kakashi says confidently, "I would never let that happen."

"Hatake..."

"We've been canvassing that neighborhood. It was only a matter of time before Sakai found out. I just didn't expect him to find out today, that's all."

"But... for me to act on my own, without orders..." I trail off.

"What are you saying?" he asks, "He got wind of our investigation, that's why he showed up in the archives. It wasn't your fault. There's only supposed to be one key to that room. No one would've imagined that he would be able to find a way in."

"Maybe. But still... That doesn't change the fact that I acted on my own, without orders from you."

"Geez... What am I always saying? I always tell you guys to conduct your investigations in whatever way you see fit. Or did you forget that?"

"I didn't forget..."

"Then you know that you effectively had my permission. You guys aren't my pawns. You're fret to think for yourselves, and investigate your cases in whatever way you think is best. That's the way I run my unit, and I take responsibility for anything that happens as a result of that. Okay?" Kakashi says.

"But you'd be blamed for anything that goes wrong..."

"Yep, but I'll also get my fair share of the glory when things go right!" Kakashi laughs.

_He couldn't have less interest in getting any kind of glory._

"We're a team, everybody's got their own role to play," Kakashi says, "Don't feel bad about what happened."

Every word out of Kakashi's mouth has me feeling more and more overwhelmed.

_Oh no..._

I hurry and look down at the floor as my eyes well-up with tears.

Kakashi pats me on the head like he's trying to soothe a crying child, "You didn't do anything wrong."

I can't let him spoil me like this for forever. I can't let him waste any more of his energy on trying to cheer me up. I fix my face into a smile.

"Got it! I won't quit until we solve this case and you get the glory you deserve!" I say cheerfully.

"Even if you don't mean it, it sounds better if you say something like, 'I won't stop until justice is served!'" Kakashi says.

"Oh, okay, let me try that again... I won't quit until justice is served!"

Kakashi laughs, "That couldn't have sounded faker if you wanted it to!"

"Hey! You just said I didn't have to mean it!"

"True."

We look at each other and smile. I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders.

"Haruno, don't worry about staying to work overtime tonight. It's okay if you knock-off a little early. You should go on a date. I'll help you relax," Kakashi says.

"What? A d-date?" I say surprised.

Unfortunately, I don't have anyone to go on a date with...

"You spend too much time cooped up in this office. You should get out and have some fun with your boyfriend."

"I don't have a boyfriend..."

_Why is he bringing up this boyfriend stuff all of a sudden?_

I don't have a lot of experience with relationships.

"Oh, I guess you're too busy with work to have a boyfriend..." Kakashi looks my way, his eyes warm and understanding.

_What?_

He just doesn't get it. I feel a tinge of sadness. I don't care about going home early.

_I want to be with Kakashi... I know that, to him, I'm just another detective in his unit... _

How depressing. I shake my head, trying to push negative thoughts from my mind.

"Haruno. What's up? Why are you shaking your head 'no' like that?" Kakashi asks.

"Oh, uh, it's nothing... What were you going to say?"

"How about a date with me?" he asks.

"What!?" I exclaim.

"Let's go!" Kakashi gives me an eye crinkle grin.

He stops leaning on the vending machine, stands up straight, and walks off. A date with Kakashi...

"You mean... Wait, what!?" I exclaim as I comprehend what he just said.

Kakashi quickly walks off.I follow after him, my heart racing faster than ever before.


	8. Chapter 8

Kakashi and I are going on a date.

_A date... What are we going to do?_

I don't know whether I should be happy about this or not. But, regardless of the confusion in my head, my heart continues pounding with excitement. I press on my cheeks in an effort to stop myself from smiling like an idiot, and wait for Kakashi. A big SUV pulls up in front of me. The passenger side window rolls down.

"Hey," Kakashi says.

"Hatake!" I say.

"Get in."

"Okay..."

Excited, I get into the car.

"Is this your car?" I ask Kakashi.

"Yep," he replies, "Did you think this was one of the unmarked police cars?"

"No way. I just... I expected you to drive a luxury car or a sports car or something..."

"I like big, comfortable cars."

"You should get one of those dekotora 18-wheelers with lots of lights!"

"Hey. Don't assume I'm into all that flashy street stuff just because of the motorcycle thing."

"Yes, Sir, Boss, Sir!"

"Cause I'm not, ya' know!"

We joke around, and i fasten my seat belt.

"Okay," Kakashi says.

"Hm?"

"So... Where do people go on these 'date' things?" he asks.

"Um... Out to eat, or for a drive, or to an amusement park. Stuff like that, I guess," I reply.

"Okay."

"Huh?"

"Let's go," Kakashi says.

"Go? Go where?" I ask.

"Everywhere. We're gonna do all of the stuff you just said," he replies.

"All of it!?" I exclaim.

A few hours later...

"That was so good!" I say.

"You can really eat, huh?" he asks.

"S-sorry," I apologize.

"Don't apologize. It was fun eating with you."

"Huh?"

"We should go out to eat together again some time," he says with an eye crinkle smile.

I look down at the ground, "O-okay..."

_I'm embarrassed and happy all at once..._

"Oh. Rainbow Bridge," Kakashi points out to.

"Wow. It looks so pretty, the way they have it all lit up," I say.

"Date-appropriate scenery, right?"

"What?"

"I mean, because, we're on a date, right?" he asks.

"Y-yeah, a date..." I reply.

_He's dropping the word "date" like it's nothing! Isn't he embarrassed at all?_

After driving for awhile, we approach an amusement park. I hear it's lively sounds, and automatically turn my head to look at the park.

_I haven't been to an amusement park in forever..._

"I haven't been to an amusement park since I was in college," Kakashi says.

"I was just thinking about the exact same thing!" I exclaim.

"Alright then, it's decided."

Kakashi puts on his blinker and turns towards the amusement park.

"Coming here reminds me of that rumor about Sakai..." Kakashi suddenly remembers about.

"What rumor?" I ask.

"It's just a stupid story. Some cop came to this amusement park on a date, and saw a man who looked just like Sakai. Before you know it, the whole MPD was talking about Sakai's supposed 'secret love-child.'"

"What? Why!?"

"According to that cop, the person who looked like Sakai was acting all stealthy. Like he was trying not to attract attention. But Sakai's too old to take a mistress to an amusement park, and there's no way he would come here by himself... Anyway, that was the rumor."

"And everyone thought he had a 'love-child' based on that?"

"Yeah, well that park probably had something to do with the fact that the rumor started just after Sakai's wife left him. Everyone was saying hat his wife must've left when she found out about his illegitimate child."

"Was that really what happened?" I ask.

"No. It was a simple case of mistaken identity." he replies, "Sakai was Chief of the Detective Bureau then. He didn't have time to be playing around like that."

"I kind of feel bad for him..." I confess.

Kakashi shakes his head in disappointment, "Yeah... He's done bad things in the past, but regardless of that, that rumor was unfair."

We pull into the amusement park's parking lot.

"We're here!" Kakashi says.

"Yay! The rollercoaster here is supposed to have the steepest drop in Japan! I've been wanting to ride it forever!" I say cheerfully.

"Oh..."

Kakashi looks a little nervous.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

Kakashi's face is expressionless as he avoids my gaze, "It's nothing..."

The rollercoaster makes its way up the first hill to its starting point. I haven't ridden a rollercoaster in a long time.

"This is so exciting!" I say happily.

"Yeah..."

Kakashi sounds less than enthusiastic.

"Hatake, you aren't... scared, are you?" I ask.

"Scared? No..."

"Are you sure? You're acting weird..."

"I guess I'm a little off..." he says.

"Put your hands up in the air when we get to the top, okay?"

"Aren't you scared, Haruno?"

"No way, I love rollercoasters!"

"Good man."

"I told you. I'm a girl, don't call me 'good man'!" I protest, "Hatake! We're at the top! Get ready!" I yell at him.

I throw my hands up in the air.

I scream at the top of my lungs, thoroughly enjoying myself, "Aaaahhh!"

Kakashi's face is bright red, "Don't laugh."

"I... I can't help it..." I say between catching my breath from laughing so hard.

I look at the picture of us on the rollercoaster. I'm smiling from ear to ear with my arms straight up in the air. Kakashi sits next to me, hunched over, gripping the bar in desperation. He looks terrified.

"H-Hatake... This is so... cute!"

"C-cute!?" Kakashi exclaims,"Don't be stupid!"

"Somebody sounds a little sensitive..."

"Sensitive? N-no way! Time for the next ride, let's go!" he says quickly and starts walking off.

I follow after him, "Where are we going on next?"

"Splash! You can't go to an amusement park without riding that!"

"But there's a little bit of a drop at the end of Splash, too. Are you going to be okay?" I ask.

"I should be able to deal if I brace myself," he replies.

"If you brace yourself, huh..." I say thoughtfully.

"I-I mean... Of course! I'll be fine!" he says flustered.

He looks so cute, flustered and stumbling over his words. I can't help, but laugh again.

"Look, churros!" Kakashi says.

"Ooh! I want one! The best flavor is definitely..."

"Kinako!" we both name the same flavor at the same time.

"What?! Nobody ever likes kinako!" I say surprised.

"Yeah, I thought so too. I'm surprised."

"Do you dip it in brown sugar syrup?" I ask.

"Um. Of course! You?"

"Of course!"

I feel like we're bonding. The idea of Kakashi and I growing closer makes me feel a little giddy. We buy our kinako churro, and, standing side by side, dig in.

"This is..." I start saying.

"Hm?" Kakashi asks.

"You, standing in an amusement park, with a churro in your hand, and the fact that you're scared of roller coasters..." I can't help but laugh, "It's hilarious to see you like this," I finish my sentence.

"Hey, now... I'm the boss here. Quit making fun of me!"

"Eeek! I'm soo sorry!"

Kakashi's face is bright red. He shakes his fist at me in fake admonishment. I think he's going to pat me on the head, but her reaches out and tousles my hair until it's all messed up.

"Aaah! Hey! What are you doing!?" I exclaim.

"Haha... Looks like you're finally feeling better."

"Uh..."

Kakashi smiles at me kindly before leisurely walking off, "Can we take a break for a minute before we ride Splash?"

"Sure."

Cigarette in hand, Kakashi heads for the smoking area. I watch Kakashi. He stands a little away from me to light his cigarette, never taking off his mask. And then I realize... Kakashi hasn't brought up the case once since we got here.

_He's doing this for me..._

I fell guilty, but thankful... I'm filled with a strange, bittersweet feeling that I've never experienced before. He handles his lighter with a bearing that speaks of experience and confidence. I can't take my eyes off of his hands.

_He was acting so cute just a minute ago..._

I feel my heart start to beat faster. I realize I'm staring, and hurry to avert my gaze somewhere else that isn't on him.

_Kakashi is my boss..._

I repeat to myself as a reminder.

A few minutes later...

"I'm soaked!" Kakashi says excitedly, and casually offers me his hand to help me down off of Splash.

I take his hand and step out of my seat, "T-thank you."

"This is a date. It's okay if we keep holding hands," Kakashi says casually.

"Um..."

We walk hand in hand.

_This feels just like a real date..._

Without thinking, I squeeze Kakashi's hand a little tighter.

"Sorry you're stuck with me," Kakashi says.

I give him a confused expression, "Huh?"

Kakashi laughs bitterly,"I'm sorry you're not here with your boyfriend."

"I told you, I don't have a boyfriend."

"Haha. So, what kind of guys do you like?" he asks.

"What... kind? Guys that are mature, sweet, masculine, reliable... That kind of person."

"Oh? Sounds like I'm your type!"

I can't believe he just said that.

I don't reply to his statement.

"Hey. What are you spacing out for? You'd better wake up or I'm gonna mess up your hair again!" Kakashi threatens me teasingly.

"You MUST be playin'!" I say.

"Now you're talking like Shikamaru too."

"What can I say? It's contagious."

Kakashi laughs, "That's true."

"Anyway, how about you, Hatake?"

"How about what?" he asks.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" I ask.

"Nope. Girls don't like me all that much," he replies.

"Is it that you... don't want a girlfriend?"

"It's not that I don't want one... It's just that I don't want a girlfriend badly enough to go looking for one."

_He's so passive. I expected him to be more aggressive._

I go for it and ask him straight out, "So what kind of girls do you like?"

Kakashi thinks for a moment, "Someone strong and responsible with a sense of justice. And lots of energy."

"That sounds like you!"

"Gross! Are you trying to say I'm in love with myself?"

I start laughing. I wanted to say, "That sounds like me!" But I lost my nerve at the last second.

"Alright. On to the haunted house!" Kakashi says.

I look at the ground nervously, "Uh..."

"What is it?" he asks.

"G-g-great! A haunted house!" I stammer.

"You aren't scared, are you? You look like you're panicking," Kakashi says with an eye crinkle smile.

"No, I'm not scared! Ghosts aren't scary! But when you go to a haunted house, people and things are always popping out at you unexpectedly. I don't like that..." I confess.

"In other words... you're scared." Kakashi says with an amused expression.

"N-no! I just get surprised, like if somebody jumped out from the shadows, and yelled,'Boo!' at you when you were coming out of the bathroom..."

"Got it. Got it," Kakashi says sarcastically.

It doesn't seem like he believes me at all. He continues to hold my hand as we walk to the haunted house.

"A-are we really going?" I ask.

"Of course. We're at an amusement park. We can't go home without going to the haunted house, " he replies.

"Really? I wasn't sure under the impression that going to a haunted house was quite that essential..."

"I _hate_ haunted house. When something really shocks me, I'm paralyzed in fear. Plus, my screams aren't cute and girly at all. I scream like someone's actually trying to murder me. If I remember correctly, when I was in college, I even went so far as to judo-throw a guy dressed up as a ghost...

"It's okay. I'm telling you, it won't be a big of a deal," Kakashi says reassuringly.

"Really?"

"Probably."

I don't respond back.

"Oh, there it is," Kakashi points to the haunted house.

I want to run away. But, I can't do that to Kakashi. He was scared, but he rode the rollercoaster with me without a single complaint.

"Alright! You ready?" Kakashi asks.

"Yeah..." I reply unconfidently.

_He's holding my hand; so I'll just keep my eyes closed the whole time._

*ring* *ring*

I hear an electronic ringing sound coming from Kakashi's pocket.

Kakashi checks who's calling him, "It's Sai."

After checking the caller ID, Kakashi quickly answers the phone.

"Hatake here. What's going on?" Kakashi says.

Suddenly, his face turns serious, "What?! Today? Okay... Where?"

_What?_

"Huh!?" Kakashi says shocked.

Kakashi sounds like he's been caught off-guard.

"No... No, nothing. I'm near that location now. Let's meet up. Haruno? It's okay, I"ll get in touch with her," Kakashi says.

_What happened?_

Kakashi gets off the phone. Uneasy, he looks at me.

"We've got some work to do, Haruno," he says in a tone that means it's business-time.

"It sounds that way. What happened?" I ask.

"We got a tip-off about a dirty cop in the MPD. He's supposed to be meeting with a drug ring," Kakashi explains.

"Today?"

"Yeah."

"Where?"

"Here."

"Huh?"

"Today, starting now, here."

"Are you serious?" I ask still in disbelief.

"Yeah, here, at this amusement park," he replies.

"What!?" I exclaim in surprise.

"We're meeting up with Sai and Shikamaru behind the main ticket gates. You should go wait for them there.," Kakashi says.

_Is this for real!? This is the kind of stuff that happens in movies!_

I nod my head, all the while thinking about what an unbelievable situation this is.


	9. Chapter 9

Kakashi received a phone call informing him of a meet up between a member of the MPD, and the drug ring we're investigating. That meeting is supposed to take place here, the amusement park Kakashi and I have come to for our "date". Sai and Shikamaru hurry to meet up with us at the amusement park.

"They really said this is where they're going to be meeting?" Kakashi asks Shikamaru.

"Yep," he replies.

"At an amusement park?" Kakashi asks Sai.

"I thought they were messing around when they first said amusement park, but they were serious... This is the place."

"So.. a dirty cop in the Metro PD... They didn't say it was Sakai?" Kakashi asks.

"I asked, but they said they didn't know the dude's name," Shikamaru replies.

"Okay..." Kakashi says.

"Um... Shouldn't we move for the time being? We're not exactly blending in," I point out.

We're a group of three men and one woman, all wearing work clothes. We do not look like we belong at an amusement park. First, we head to the park's security office. We show our badges to the officers there, and explain the situation. We also borrow a bunny suit to wear in order to blend into our surroundings.

Shikamaru gestures violently with the bunny head, "What!? Why the hell do 'I' have to wear it!?"

"Because, you lost at Rock Paper Scissors," Sai says.

"This is the kinda thing we should get Haruno to do!" Shikamaru complains.

"I threw scissors!" I argue.

Shikamaru turns towards Kakashi, "Boss, why we always gotta decide 'everything' with Rock Paper Scissors? It doesn't make no sense..."

"Rock Paper Scissors is the fairest way to decide," Kakashi replies.

"Shikamaru, this is also part of the operation too," Sai says sternly.

Sai sounds serious, but his twitching lower lip makes it clear that he's barely suppressing his laughter. Shikamaru scowls at Sai and sighs before putting on the bunny suit. There's a little round tail on the bunny suit's puffy butt. But the head is still Shikamaru's glum face...

"Haruno, quit it with the tee-hee-hee's! Moron!" Shikamaru shouts.

"S-sorry," I apologize.

"You're a real piece of work, you know that? What kinda shitty human being laughs at another person's misfortune!?" Shikamaru waves his fluffy pink paws around angrily, "Somebody oughta teach you a thing or two 'bout respect!"

"I'm so... sorr..."

I couldn't finish my sentence without laughing again. Neither Kakashi nor Sai come to my aide as Shikamaru takes his anger out on me.

_They could help me out a little..._

But just as that thought occurs to me, both Kakashi and Sai double over with laughter. Shikamaru, of course, explodes on the both of them, letting loose a torrent of insults.

Shikamaru starts walking around the park in his bunny disguise. We listen to his muffled voice over the two-way radio.

"Nothing unusual by the merry-go-round," Shikamaru says on the radio.

"Roger that," Kakashi replies.

"He's the most unusual thing by the merry-go-round..." Sai implies.

"Shh..." Kakashi says to Sai.

We whisper amongst ourselves as we watch over Shikamaru from afar.

"Hatake... That rumor about Sakai's 'love child'... Could the man they saw at the amusement park have been Sakai after all?"

"Hm? Yeah..."

"Are you guys talking about that rumor?" Sai asks.

"Sakai may not have a lot of free time, but if he's only meeting with these guys for a moment or two like he did last time," I start saying.

"Then it could very well have been him," Kakashi says.

"But, if he was already spotted once, it seems weird for him to continue meeting with these guys here..." I speculate.

"The amusement park staff could be in on it," Kakashi says.

"Or, he could be coming in disguise so that, even if someone did spot him again, they would assume it was just another case of mistaken identity," Sai says.

"If the park staff is involved, they could've been the ones who leaked the intel about today's meeting," I say.

"No, there's not much of a chance of that. If the park staff is involved, they would've all been forced into silence. Assuming they're not in the drug ring as well," Sai says.

Just then, Shikamaru's voice comes over the two-way radio.

"I've spotted a man who appears to be Sakai at two o'clock," Shikamaru says.

The man is too far away. I can't tell if he's Sakai or not.

"Are you sure it's him?" Kakashi asks Shikamaru.

"Think so. I'm going in for a closer look," Shikamaru replies.

"Act friendly, skip around and give him a balloon," Sai informs Shikamaru.

"I won't forget this, Sai..." Shikamaru growls threateningly.

"Shikamaru, be a good bunny and quit it with the scary voices!" I say sternly.

"We'll settle this after work, Haruno..." Shikamaru says in a low, threateningly voice.

"Quit it with the gangster threats. We've already got one real former gang member in the unit, we don't need a fake one," I say.

"Hey! Don't refer to me as a 'gang member', I'm a detective!" Kakashi says.

"Two men approaching!" Shikamaru suddenly says on the radio.

I can see two men walking towards the pink bunny in the distance. The bunny offers them some balloons, but they turn him down cold.

"No doubt about it, it's Sakai," Shikamaru whispers his report into the two-way radio, "The other man is about 5'8, a little overweight, in his late 30's or early 40's, he has a mole on the left side of his chin."

"What are they saying?" Kakashi asks Shikamaru.

"Nothing. They're not talking at all," Shikamaru replies, "They're headed for the Ferris wheel!"

The two men wordlessly climb into one of the Ferris wheel's carriages. We walk into a cheap restaurant across the street from the amusement park. I hear someone let out a sigh.

"These guys are slippery..." Sai says.

"Just as I thought..." Kakashi says.

"They know what they're doing..." I say.

Sakai and the other man got onto the Ferris wheel without exchanging a word. There was no way he was going to start chatting it up after getting off... All we could do was sit and watch their obviously suspicious behavior. In the end, we were left with nothing more than a bad taste in our mouths. Nothing that we witnessed could be used as proof of wrong doing.

"That son of a bitch... I can't believe I wore that humiliating outfit for nothing!" Shikamaru says angrily.

Shikamaru seems to have taken the whole thing personally.

A waitress comes by our table, "What can I get for you guys?"

"I'm gonna go with the pork cutlet bowl and tempura soba," Shikamaru says.

"I'll take the curry omelet and a side salad," Sai says.

"I'm just going to have a piece of cake," Kakashi says.

"I'd like the chocolate pudding parfait and a coffee, please," I say.

Shikamaru and Sai look at me, clearly confused.

"What's wrong, Sakura? What happened to your appetite?" Sai asks, "Do you have a fever or something? You msut be on the verge of death."

"I've already eaten plenty today... Don't act like I'm doing something weird when I'm not," I reply.

"What then? You went on a date?" Shikamaru asks.

"N..." I stop talking when someone kicks my leg under the table.

I look at Kakashi across the table and find him grinning teasingly. "A date, huh?" Kakashi's eyes seem to say.

"Yep," I reply.

"A d-date!? An actual, real date!?" Shikamaru exclaims.

"What are you so shocked for? You're the one who brought it up," I say.

"A date with a man!?" Sai says surprised.

"Ok quit it. What is this shock and awe about!?" I ask both the men.

"He feed you something good?" Shikamaru asks.

"Yeah, I could never have paid-," I change what I was going to say mid-sentence when I'm kicked again under the table, "-Um, we went to an Italian restaurant."

_I was trying to make it sound good!_

I give Kakashi a look, but he avoids my gaze and looks off in the other direction.

"So was it expensive or not?" Sai asks.

"Not really, just normal," I reply, "Anyway, who cares about me? Kakashi, you only ordered dessert too! Did you go on a date today too?"

I launch my counter attack.

"Yeah right! Boss never-" Shikamaru gets cut off mid-sentence.

"Well, actually..." Kakashi starts saying.

"WHAT!?" Shikamaru and Sai both say simultaneously and are shocked.

Sai and Shikamaru are blown away.

"W-with who!?" Sai asks.

"A woman, of course," Kakashi replies.

"What kinda woman!?" Shikamaru asks.

"What kind? A tomboy with a big appetite."

"Ow!" Shikamaru yells in pain.

"Oh! Shikamaru, I'm sorry!" I apologize.

"What are you going around kicking people for!?" Shikamaru asks.

"My aim was a little off..." I reply.

"What?" Shikamaru says confused.

"Um, I mean, sorry, it was an accident..." I say.

I can't tell him I was actually aiming for Kakashi.

"My bad," I apologize and lower my head to avoid making eye contact with Kakashi.

We're in the amusement park's parking garage. Kakashi and I separate from Sai and Shikamaru and head towards his car.

"You're just as much to blame as me, you know!" I yell at Kakashi.

Kakashi chuckles, "You really are funny, you know that?"

"Why does that not feel like a compliment," I say.

"It doesn't? I meant it in a good way..."

Kakashi tries to change the subject as he opens the car door for me.

"Come on now, there's no need to be angry," Kakashi says.

I look up at Kakashi. Just then... I see what looks like a man's shadow moving on the level above us. Something falls through the air, heading for Kakashi.

"Watch out!" I yell at Kakashi and react instantly by pushing Kakashi out of the way. An instant later, I feel a splash of liquid on my head. I hear the sound of empty cans clanging as they fall to the ground.

"Haruno!" Kakashi shouts.

I don't know what happened. I look around. Everything is yellow. A noxious smell fills my nostrils.

"Paint!" Kakashi says.

A piece of paper flutters down from above and lands at my feet. The only things written on the page is "BEWARE" in bold, red letters.

"This..." I start saying until Kakashi rushes towards me.

"Haruno! Are you okay?" He asks worriedly.

I start giggling, "I'm all yellow."

"This is serious!" Kakashi says in a stern voice.

"Sorry."

I can't help but be a little shocked at this new development.

"When I realized something was amiss, I just..." I start saying.

My body moved on its own. I wanted to protect Kakashi...

"You tried to save me?" Kakashi asks.

"Um, I..." I trail off.

"I'm sorry, Haruno. I should've been more careful," he apologizes, makes a troubled face, and looks down at the ground.

"Hatake..."

He exhales deeply and looks back up at me.

"I'm calling in the crime lab..." Kakashi says as his face returns to his usual, professional expression.

He takes out his cell phone, and starts giving out instructions to the person on the other end of the line. He's totally cool and in control, even in this strange of a situation.

_I'm so glad he's safe..._

My chest aches with the residual worry.

_I've gotta do my best too!_

Without anything else to do, I check the car to make sure it's not damaged. Having taken care of the situation at hand, Kakashi gets off the phone and takes my hand.

"Don't do anything like that ever again..." Kakashi says sternly.

"But..."

"No 'buts'. What if whoever that was had thrown something other than paint? Something more dangerous... You could've been killed!"

I don't know what to say...

"I chose you to be my partner, not my stunt double. Quit it with the self-sacrifice."

"You're saying I should just sit there and do nothing if you're in danger?" I ask.

"Yes."

"That's impossible! I could never..."

I feel my chest tighten in pain just imagining it. I look down and shake my head. Kakashi lets out a very long sigh.

"Put yourself in my shoes. Do you have any idea how I would feel if something happened to you? Much less if it were my fault..."

Kakashi looks troubled again. Suddenly, his powerful arms pull me close.

"Hatake..."

"I'm begging you... Please, never do anything like that again..."

Wrapped up in big arms, I feel how strong he is as he squeezes me tightly. This feels different... it doesn't feel like he's just treating me 'like a puppy...' I can feel his heart. Is it beating a little faster?

"I want to tell you that I won't, but..." I start saying, but stop mid-sentence.

Choking back tears, I raise my face and look Kakashi in the eyes.

"Do you have any idea how "I" would feel if something happened to you? There's no way i... I couldn't bear it..." I say shakily on the verge of tears.

Kakashi's expression changes. It's as if he's just realized something very important. Neither of us are able to look away. We stare into each other's eyes. I understand. I see the heat in his gaze and feel the heat in my own.

Kakashi gently cups my cheek in his right hand, "Haruno..."

"Hatake..."

Slowly, hesitatingly, Kakashi's face draws closer to my own. I close my eyes, and in that same instant, feel something rubber, but yet soft lips on my lips. Kakashi's kiss is both gentler and hungrier than I could've ever imagined. My mind goes blank. His kiss is my everything. Even though he has that annoying mask of his on him, I can still feel his warm. moist lips caress mine. We kiss and kiss until we hear the approaching patrol cars' sirens draw near.

**Hey guys! Sorry for my absence! I was busy with school and exams, I didn't have time to update so for waiting so patiently, I've uploaded 4 new chapters! ^_^ Hope you like the story, and please favorite, follow, or leave a review so I can hear your opinions on what you think of it! ^_^ **


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